kid's question on homosexuality

[PennLady]

I blogged about this, but here's the short version.

Last night Mr Penn and I were watching episodes of M*A*S*H on DVD, and PennBoy joined us for part of one. He thought it was hilarious (thanks to the laugh track) and wanted to see another. Now, these are the very early episodes (season two) and so tame compared to what's on today that we figured okay. The next episode is one called "George," in which it turns out that a wounded soldier was beaten up. As he tells a doctor, two guys were beaten, one for being a Negro, the other a homosexual; this is the homosexual.

PennBoy wondered if Negroes were homosexuals (or vice versa) so we paused to sort this out. He remembered that Negro meant colored, and we told him -- keeping things very simple -- that homosexual meant a man falling in love with another man, or a woman with a woman, as opposed to a man/woman pairing.

PennBoy (he's eight) digested that and said well, no, that won't work, they can't get married. We said yes, in some places they can, and luckily we have friends we could point to as an example (gay male couple, married in the Episcopal Church, and adoptive fathers to two boys). We waited for the reaction...

PennBoy grins. Great! he says. I can marry PennFriend (his best friend)! He is happy.

Trying not to laugh, we suggest that he not worry about marrying anyone for another ten (or twenty or thirty ) years.

I thought we handled it pretty well for being caught off-guard. But geez.

 

[Cruel2BKind]

One million moms (an organization that rabidly fights for morality in the media, but has a few problems learning to count) Is against homosexuality in the media (among other things) because they are afraid of the message that it sends children.

I think Pennboy illustrates how wrong they are. Good for you and good for him.

Seriously, check out their site. They want to protest urban outfitters because they had an add in one of their catalogues with two women kissing.

http://onemillionmoms.com/

 

[PennLady]

I think the One Million Moms got mad about Ellen DeGeneres and her ads for JCPenney's. I have no time for them.

I think this just goes to show that kids will approach almost any issue with a totally open mind. Parents (and others, later) provide the biases one way or the other.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Let them be priests.

 

[mynameisben]

I wonder what PennBoy's take is on that cross dressing Corporal Klinger.

 

[PennLady]

I wonder what PennBoy's take is on that cross dressing Corporal Klinger.

He didn't say much about that. We did explain why Klinger was dressing like a woman, and he seemed satisfied with what we said. It's an experience watching with him, I must say.

 

[3113]

One million moms (an organization that rabidly fights for morality in the media, but has a few problems learning to count) Is against homosexuality in the media (among other things) because they are afraid of the message that it sends children.

I think Pennboy illustrates how wrong they are.

Actually, he illustrates how right they are to be afraid of the message sent to kids. He now accepts homosexuality as no big deal and not at all wrong. And to them, that's not right.

People always fear--rightly or wrongly--that some outside influence will transform their children into something other than what they, the parents, want them to be. And to some extent, they are right that the media can do this. It can make kids who might learn to hate other races accepting of them, it can make kids who might not question, question (see Pennboy), and it can make kids realize that what they think and feel is normal and not at all wrong--in spite of what their parents tell them.

So while such organizations are wrong if they think the media can turn their kids gay, they are right that the media can make their kids accept gayness as normal (and thus be in favor of things the parents don't approve of like gay marriage) and it can make a gay child understand that he/she should not be ashamed of who they are, should not hide it or try to be other than who and what they are.

Thus, they certainly do have everything to fear from such portrayals

 

[lance gt]

I wonder what PennBoy's take is on that cross dressing Corporal Klinger.

Or why they calle her, "Hot Lips" Hoolihan

 

[Cruel2BKind]

Thus, they certainly do have everything to fear from such portrayals

Then I have hope for the future.

One of their laughable campaigns a few months ago was to boycott liquid plumr because of this commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hldt4G-uepk

 

[Stella_Omega]

Actually, he illustrates how right they are to be afraid of the message sent to kids. He now accepts homosexuality as no big deal and not at all wrong. And to them, that's not right.

People always fear--rightly or wrongly--that some outside influence will transform their children into something other than what they, the parents, want them to be. And to some extent, they are right that the media can do this. It can make kids who might learn to hate other races accepting of them, it can make kids who might not question, question (see Pennboy), and it can make kids realize that what they think and feel is normal and not at all wrong--in spite of what their parents tell them.

So while such organizations are wrong if they think the media can turn their kids gay, they are right that the media can make their kids accept gayness as normal (and thus be in favor of things the parents don't approve of like gay marriage) and it can make a gay child understand that he/she should not be ashamed of who they are, should not hide it or try to be other than who and what they are.

Thus, they certainly do have everything to fear from such portrayals

Exactly this.

 

[PennLady]

Or why they calle her, "Hot Lips" Hoolihan

It didn't come up, and we didn't bring it up. No sense making things difficult.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Then I have hope for the future.

One of their laughable campaigns a few months ago was to boycott liquid plumr because of this commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hldt4G-uepk

That is simply adorable. We need MORE ads like that!

 

[mynameisben]

If that woman lapses into such intense, erotic sexual fantasies after reading the user instructions on a bottle of drain clog remover, I just want to know two things: 1) How can she even function by herself in public? and 2) what's her cell phone number?

 

[Safe_Bet]

Then I have hope for the future.

One of their laughable campaigns a few months ago was to boycott liquid plumr because of this commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hldt4G-uepk

Geeze... Guess they better boycott booze too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aQXBE1bfis&feature=youtube_gdata_player

AND

air travel!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfHHt8eRdpY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[Stella_Omega]

If that woman lapses into such intense, erotic sexual fantasies after reading the user instructions on a bottle of drain clog remover, I just want to know two things: 1) How can she even function by herself in public? and 2) what's her cell phone number?

1) That's no more intense than usual for many women, it's just visible for a change.
2) Your reaction is why women don't make it visible. That fantasy isn't an invitation to every Tom Dick and Harry to jump her bones.

2a) do you look like either of those two guys and have the saviore faire of either of them?​

 

[sr71plt]

The ad's cute. So are folks who take it seriously/literally (but in a different way).

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Raise a boy to know that he's expected to work and take care of his kids, no excuses, and thats what he'll do. Momma and daddy create the culture that prunes his lil mind.

Raise a boy to think fags and niggaz are okay, and he's lost. No right thinking female wants a wuss.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Jimmy is very handy at giving us the opinions of the right wing. Just in case we haven't already heard them ad infinitum.

 

[RjThoughts]

Or why they calle her, "Hot Lips" Hoolihan

Our then 6-year-old son had asked why they called her Hot Lips. My wife and I, trying not to laugh, looked at each other. I raised my eyebrows and kissed my wife. To whit, he said, "EEwwww gross."

 

[RjThoughts]

The ad's cute. So are folks who take it seriously/literally (but in a different way).

There are far too many people that take ads seriously, One Million Moms being one organization. I wonder if these women want to boycot the NFL because they, at times, have pink on their uniforms, and we all know that means GAY. <serious teenager eyeroll>

 

[PennLady]

There are far too many people that take ads seriously, One Million Moms being one organization. I wonder if these women want to boycot the NFL because they, at times, have pink on their uniforms, and we all know that means GAY. <serious teenager eyeroll>

LOL But I bet they think M*A*S*H is great. I mean, never mind that in the first three seasons, three of the male main characters are married men cheating on their wives, or that the other male lead sleeps with all the nurses (although he does seem to avoid the married ones) and the one female lead is sleeping with one of the married male leads.

That's fine, but ack, gay...

Also, like Klinger, PennBoy did not ask about "Hot Lips." I'm also not sure it came up in the episodes he watched.

 

[pizzaboyatdoor]

One million moms (an organization that rabidly fights for morality in the media, but has a few problems learning to count) Is against homosexuality in the media (among other things) because they are afraid of the message that it sends children.

Just another of a long list of uptight, upright, "only WE can properly interpret God's words" so-called 'religious' groups that want to save the country!

When they finally figure out what Jesus was really saying when he talked of "come to Me like a small child"....THEN they can get me to listen to them up on their soap boxes! Until then, they are nothing but trained parrots for the most stupid & most bigoted.

And just in case, they NEED a hint: Children have to BE TAUGHT to hate and be judgemental and how to develop the 'better-than-thou' attitudes. Until that sad education begins....usually at home or in the churches....they are simply wide-eyed, curious, and loving bundles of joy that accept things for what they are.

 

[Emily124]

Then I have hope for the future.

One of their laughable campaigns a few months ago was to boycott liquid plumr because of this commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hldt4G-uepk

This is a great commercial! LOL!

 

[Safe_Bet]

...they are simply wide-eyed, curious, and loving bundles of joy that accept things for what they are.

You've never REALLY had kids, have ya?

You prolly just READ about them in Parental Fantasy Magazine or sumthin.

 

[PennLady]

You've never REALLY had kids, have ya?

You prolly just READ about them in Parental Fantasy Magazine or sumthin.

I've had kids, and this isn't far off the mark, if it's off at all. Sure, kids pick things up from TV and such, but in my experience -- I have two kids, 8yo and 4yo -- kids don't have innate biases against stuff. They have innate curiosity.